Spiders (Araneae) from N arssaq, southern Greenland SEPPO KOPONEN Koponen, S.: Spiders (Araneae) from Narssaq, southern Greenland. Ent. Meddr 49: 117-119. Copenhagen, Denmark, 1982. ISSN 0013-8851. Spider material collected by the author from Narssaq, the subarctic vegetation zone of Greenland, consisted of 33 species. Three species are reported for the first time from Greenland: Robertus fuscus (Emerton), Porrhomma convexum (Westring), and Walckenaera longidens (Holm). Some ecological and zoogeographical notes on the present spider material are given. Seppo Koponen, Zoological Museum, Department of Biology, University ofTurku, SF-20500 Turku 50, Finland. Introduction and study area three are new to Greenland. These three species are known from maritime parts of Alaska (see The spider fauna of Greenland has been studied below). by several authors for a period of over one hun­ dred years. The number of species known Robertus fuscus (Emerton) is known from a wide hitherto from Greenland is 66 (Holm, 1967; range in the northern Nearctic region, ~.g. Hillyard, 1979). Newfoundland, Labrador, Ontario, and Alaska Spiders were collected by the author in (Kaston, 1946; Chamberlin & Ivie, 1947; southernmost Greenland, 1976. The collecting Hackman, 1954). One immature male was sites were situated in Narssaq, the subarctic collected by sieving moist Sphagnum moss in a vegetation area of Greenland, and the material mire at Dyrnres; it matured in August. The was collected from the following localities (see species is known to prefer humid places Koponen, 1978: Fig. 1): (Hackman, 1954). 1. Kangerdluarssuk (60053'N, 45°50'W), July Porrhomma convexum (W estring) has a wide 20-25 range in the Old World, and it has been found on 2. Narssarssuaq (61°10'N, 45°25'W), July 16 and several Alaskan islands (Holm, 1960). One male July 28 -August 2 and one female were found under stones by a 3. Narssaq, Dyrnres (60057'N, 46005'W), July brook at Dyrnres, July 17. This is also a typical 17-19 and 26-27 habitat for the species in Iceland (Brrendegaard, 4. Qagssiarssuk (61009'N, 45°30'W), August 1 1958). The material was collected from sea level up to Walckenaera longidens (Holm), described from 400 m a. s. 1. and typical South Greenland Adak, the Aleutian Islands (Holm, 1960), is habitats were investigated: shores, meadows, known only from the original collecting site. stone beds, rocks, shrubs, and a small mire. The Two females were found under stones by a small main collecting methods were sweep netting, river at Kangerdluarssuk, July 25. sieving, and hand-picking. In addition, pitfall The species found are listed in Table 1. The traps were used in the mire. The weather was nomenclature is mainly based on Holm (1967), rainy during the study period. with the exception of the genus Walckenaera, which is dealt with according to Wunderlich Species found and ecological notes (1972). The identity of a single Meioneta female is somewhat obscure; it seems to belong to M. The total spider material comprised about 500 levinsenii (cf. Holm, 1967; Wunderlich, 1973; identifiable specimens and 33 species, of which Thaler, 1975). It may be worth mentioning that 117 the females regarded as Rlulebothorax paetulus among spiders is high compared with other in­ show some variability in epigyne and position of vertebrate groups, especially with soil-bound trichobothrium. The males found fit well with ones (Brrendegaard, 1946; Lindroth, 1957; descriptions and drawings given. Numinen, 1970). This is explained by the The most abundant species caught by the capacity of spiders to disperse by ballooning, non-quantitative methods used were Enoplog­ and therefore the Nearctic element among natlul intrepida, Pardosa hyperborea, Cochlembo­ spiders is nearly as high as in Lepidoptera (cf. lus alpinus, Pardosa groenlandica, Areneus cornu­ Wolff, 1964). tus, Dictyna major, Hahnia gladialis, and Haplo­ drassus signifer. Table I. Spiders collected at Narssaq, 1976; sites: K = Many species seemed to prefer stone beds Kangerdluarssuk, N = Narssarssuaq, D = Dyrnres, Q = Qagssiarssuk. and stony meadows; abundant species living un­ der stones were, in particular, Hahnia gladalis, Dictynidae Enoplognatlul intrepida, Haplodrassus signifer, Dictyna major Menge K,N,D Cochlembolus alpinus, Lepthyplulntes turbatrix, Gnaphosidae Hilaira frigida, Islandiana princeps, and adults of Haplodrassus signifer (C. L. Koch) K,N,D,Q Xysticus durus. Species found commonly on cliffs were Araneus cornutus, Enoplognatlul intrepida, Thomisidae Xysticus durus (Soerensen) K,N,D and Dictyna major. Typical species in a Splulgnum mire were Arctosa insignita, Latithorax obtusus Philodromidae and Diplocentria replicata. Abundant species on Thanatus arcticus Thorell K,N Salix and Betula shrubs were Theridion ohlerti Hahniidae lundbecki, Araneus cornutus, Dictyna major, and Hahnia glacialis Soerensen K,N,D,Q juveniles of Xysticus durus. In a very barren Lycosidae habitat, an alpine stone bed without vascular Arctosa insignita (Thorell) D plants at 350 m a.s.l., the following species were Pardosafurdfera (Thorell) K,N,D found: Pardosa groenlandica, Hahnia gladalis, P. groenlandica (Thorell) K,D,Q P. hyperborea (Thorell) K,N,D Islandiana princeps, and Walckenaera cuspidata. Tetragnathidae Tetragnatha extensa (Linnaeus) K,N Zoogeographicat aspects Araneidae Southern Greenland has traditionally been Araneus cornutus Clerck K,N,D divided into two areas: West and East A. quadratus Clerck K Greenland. The southernmost corner of Theridiidae Greenland together with the present study area Enoplognatha intrepida (Soerensen) K,N,D,Q belongs to West Greenland (see e.g. Wolff, 1964: Robertusfuscus(Emerton) D Fig. 10). About 63% of species in the present Theridion ohlerti lundbecki Soerensen K,N material (when species new to Greenland are ex­ Linyphiidae (s.lat.) cluded) are known both from West and East Cochlembolus alpinus (Banks) N,D,Q Greenland and 37% only from West Greenland; Diplocentria replicata Holm N,D no species found hitherto only in East Hilairafrigida (Thorell) K,N,D,Q Hybocoptus gibbosus (Soerensen) K,N,D Greenland was among the present species (cf. Islandiana princeps Braendegaard K,D,Q Holm, 1967). Latithorax obtusus (Emerton) D According to Holm (1967), Holarctic and Lepthyphantes complicatus (Emerton) K,N,D Neartic species each comprise about 40% of the L. turbatrix(O. P.-Cambridge) K,N,D,Q Greenland spider fauna, and Palearctic species Meioneta levinsenii (Soerensen) D about 20%. Only small differences in. these Oreonetides vaginatus (Thorell) K,N,Q figures were found between West and East Pocadicnemis pumila (Biackwall) K Greenland. The present small material fits rather Porrhomma convexum (Westring) D well with Holm's (1967) data: 45% are Nearctic Rhaebothorax morulus (0. P.-Cambridge) K,D R. paetulus (0. P.-Cambridge) D (including Meioneta levinsenit), 42% Holarctic (in­ R. sphagnicola Holm K cluding the probably endemic subspecies of Walckenaera cuspidata Blackwall K Theridion ohlerti), and the rest are Palearctic W. karpinskii(O. P.-Cambridge) D,Q species. The proportion of Nearctic species W. longidens (Holm) K 118 Acknowledgements Sammendrag I wish to thank the personnel of GGU (Geological Sur­ Edderkopper fra Narssaq, Sydgr('Jnland vey of Greenland) at Narssaq for help during my visit Forfatteren har indsamlet 33 arter af edderkopper to Greenland. My thanks are also due to Dr. Ake {Table I) i Narssaq i den subarktiske del af Grfl)nland. Holm (Uppsala) and Dr. Michaell. Saaristo (Turku) Tre af arterne er nye for Grfl)nland: for help in identifying certain species, and to Dr. Robertus foscus, og Pekka T. Lehtinen {Turku) for valuable discussions. Porrhomma convexum Walckenaera longidens. Indsamlingerne var ikke kvantitative og foregik ved vegetationsketsning, sigtning, handplukning og References fangglas. De hyppigste arter var Enaplognatha intre­ Brrendegaard, J., 1946: Araneina. The Zoology of East pida. Pardosa hyperborea. Cochlembolus alpinus. Par­ Greenland.- Medd. Grfl)nland 121 (15): 1-128. dosa groenlandica. Araneus cornutus, Dictyna major, - 1958: Araneida. -The Zoology of Iceland Ill (54): Hahnia glacialis og Haplodrassus signifer. 1-113. · Ca. 45% af de fundne arter er nearktiske, 42% er Chamberlin, R. V. & Ivie, W., 1947: The spiders of holarktiske, og resten er palrearktiske. Disse tal stem­ Alaska.- Bull. Univ. Utah 37 (10): 1-103. mer overens med tidligere beregninger over den Hackman, W., 1954: The spiders of Newfoundland. - gr!llnlandske edderkoppefaunas zoogeografiske sam­ ActaZool. Fenn. 79: 1-99. mensretning. Sammenlignet med andre invertebrat­ Hillyard, P. D., 1979: Notes on two collections of grupper i Grfl)nland er procenten af nearktiske arter spiders from Baffin Island and Greenland. - Bull. hfl)j hos edderkopperne. Br. arachnol. Soc. 4: 2%-297. Holm, A., 1960: On a collection of spiders from Alaska. - Zool. Bidr. Uppsala 33: 109-134 + pi. I-IV. - 1967: Spiders (Araneae) from West Greenland. - Medd. Grfl)nland 184 (I): 1-99. Kaston, B. J., 1946: North American spiders of the genus Ctenium.- Amer. M us. Novit. 1306: 1-19. Koponen, S., 1978: Notes on herbivorous insects of the birch in southern Greenland. - Rep. Kevo Subarctic Res. Stat. 14: 13-17. Lindroth, C. H., 1957: The fauna! connections be­ tween Europe and North America. Stockholm. Nurminen, M., 1970: Records of Enchytraeidae (Oiigochaeta) from the west coast of Greenland. - Ann. Zool. Fenn. 7: 199-209. Thaler, K., 1975: Ober einige Spinnen aus Spitzbergen (Arachnida, Aranei). - Mitt. Schweiz. Ent. Ges. 48: 437-442. Wolff, N. L., 1964: The Lepidoptera of Greenland.­ Medd. Grfl)nland 159 {I I): 1-74 +pi. I-XXI. Wunderlich, J., 1972: Zur Kenntnis der Gattung Walckenaeria Blackwall 1833 unter besonderer Benicksichtigung der europiiischen Subgenera und Arten (Arachnida: Araneae: Linyphiidae). - Zool. Beitr. (N. F.) 18: 371-427. - 1973: Weitere seltene und bisher unbekannte Arten sowie Anmerkungen zur Taxonomie und Syno­ nymie (Arachnida: Araneae). - Senckenbergiana bioi. 54: 405-428. 119 .